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Illinois Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Grades Reported by American Society of Civil Engineers; Billions in Infrastructure Investment Needed for Public Health

Dateline City:

BELLEVILLE, Ill.

Illinois American Water invested about $122 million in 2018 to install or rehabilitate more than 42 miles of water and sewer main

BELLEVILLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Illinois Section of American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE)
latest Report Card for Illinois’ infrastructure rates the state’s water
and wastewater systems each with a C- grade. According to The Report
Card, infrastructure is graded based on eight criteria: capacity,
condition, funding, future need, operation and maintenance, public
safety, resilience and innovation.

The C- grades for water and wastewater systems falls between C and D
ratings which are defined respectively as mediocre, requiring attention
and poor, at risk. According to report findings, a trend of
underinvestment in recent years threatens Illinois’ competitive
advantage and the health, safety and welfare of citizens.

This isn’t the case for Illinois American Water’s service areas
according to Beth Matthews, Director of Engineering for Illinois
American Water, though The Report Card highlights the urgency for
infrastructure upgrades and supports the Company’s continued focus on
investment across the state.

She said, “The findings provide more evidence for the need to move
quickly on updating and maintaining water and wastewater systems to
ensure reliable service for health, safety and economic development.
Illinois American Water proactively invests annually to address these
critical investment needs.”

In fact, Illinois American Water invested about $122 million in 2018 to
install or rehabilitate more than 42 miles of water and sewer main.
Water treatment processes, equipment, security and technology were also
upgraded to comply with drinking water standards and enhance system
reliability and resilience. In addition, hundreds of fire hydrants and
water meters were installed or replaced across the state. The Company
plans to invest over $100 million in 2019 to ensure customers receive
quality, reliable service.

According to The Report Card, the required 20-year drinking water
systems investment need in Illinois has grown from $17 billion in 2007
to $21.5 billion in 2017. Wastewater needs are estimated at $6.5 billion
to meet the water quality and water-related public health goals of the
Clean Water Act.

While it is a challenge, investing in water and wastewater systems
supports not only safe drinking water and public health, but also
creates jobs. “Water and wastewater infrastructure investments prove
their value every day,” said Matthews.

She added, “One of the reasons we work to make our customers aware of
the ASCE Report Card is to highlight the critical nature of these
issues, and let them know that they already play an important role in
system renewal and future reliability by simply paying their water bill.”

The rates Illinois American Water charges are based on a true-cost
pricing model endorsed by the U.S. EPA, the Metropolitan Planning
Council, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and the National
Association of Water Companies. The ASCE also supports raising the
awareness of the true costs of water and solutions to increase
investments in wastewater and drinking water infrastructure.

True-cost pricing ensures water and wastewater rates reflect the total
cost of pumping and treating water and delivering quality service to our
customer’s homes and businesses. Rates also pay for the investment
Illinois American Water makes to ensure reliability and regulatory
compliance – investment highlighted in the Illinois Section ASCE Report
Card.

The Report Card was created to help Illinois understand the state of its
infrastructure. Civil engineering experts in their respective fields
from the Illinois Section of ASCE, with assistance from the Central
Illinois Section, Quad Cities Section and the St. Louis Section,
prepared The Report Card for Illinois’ Infrastructure. The Report Card
is created to educate and advise on the condition of the state’s
infrastructure using sound engineering evaluation criteria and to
provide recommendations on how to raise the grade. To see the report in
full visit https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/state-item/illinois/.

About Illinois American Water - Illinois American Water, a
subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned
water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water
and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American
Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality
control and research laboratory in Belleville.

With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and
most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater
utility company. The company employs more than 7,100 dedicated
professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water,
wastewater and other related services to over 14 million people in 46
states and Ontario, Canada. American Water provides safe, clean,
affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we
keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com
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